


Shattered Mirror

by Royswordsman (RoySwordsman)



Category: Captain America (Comics), Iron Man (Comic), Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, Superior Iron Man - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Evil AU, M/M, evilverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-05
Updated: 2015-01-05
Packaged: 2018-03-05 14:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3123389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoySwordsman/pseuds/Royswordsman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being reborn as Superior Iron Man has had its fair share of down sides. One of the biggest issues Tony has is that Steve isn’t on his side, and without his rudder he can’t go on. He decides that he needs to get Steve to work with him, one way or another. It doesn’t matter if it’s his Steve or one from another dimension entirely; as long as he has Steve by his side he’ll be stronger than ever.<br/>Tony breaks into Reeds lab to find a portal to give him access to find his ideal partner, his ideal Steve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shattered Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> This is a super duper late SteveTonyFest Pinch Hit for Darkly-Stark on tumblr who wanted an Evil/ Mirrorverse fic so I took things a little literally. This is based around the Superior Iron Man timeline (after issue #3) with mentions of Original Sin. Superiors actions to make the world a better place could be considered evil or chaotic good, but I tried to make him even MORE evil for you.  
> Also Ultron!Verse Steve is based off two versions; in Original Sin where Steve gets transported through time with the time gem and meets an alternate Ultron version of himself (Original Sin Avengers #31) and pre-original sin (Avengers #28) where Tony mentions and you see the 'Evil Avengers'. So I kind of melded them together to form an alternate version.  
> I hope you like it!  
> Huge thanks to my wonderful betas: actualpanda and graviticphotons on Tumblr!

It didn’t take long for Tony Stark to breach the Baxter Building's security systems. There was only one device in this world that could give him what he wanted and it was located hidden in the dark depths and confinement of Reeds lab, right in the heart of the city just waiting for his genius to trigger it’s true potential. He and Reed had been on the same side, particularly in recent days, and with the close alliance that they had shared during the course of the incursions, some might have argued that Reed Richards was one of his closest ‘friends’ through that ordeal. Support systems were considered rather important; hence the Illuminati had one another to depend on.

Well, that had been the case before they began to crumble from within, eroded by conspiracies formed within their ranks and by Namor’s appeal to the Cabal for assistance.  Life was just one big convoluted _mess_ these days, and it was further tainted by the rotten stench of internal politics within the Illuminati. Still, if there was one thing Tony could see himself reliant upon, it was that Reed Richards would have something to help him out.

Tony made his way toward the lab where the device that Reed had acquired and enhanced, the device Tony was eager to get his hands on, which wasn’t a particularly difficult task. As he stepped past, each camera flickered and shut itself down. A whimsical smile crossed his face. _Oh, the perks of Extremis._  Extremis’ powers now had little to no limitations, especially with the new symbiote-infused armour that he was using enhancing his abilities even further. This meant he effectively had no limit, at least, he was yet to reach the limits of his armour; Extremis was all bio-tech, all controlled by mental stimulation. He strode past, his headset taking in each exceptional detail of every immaculate device that he passed ranging from a small scale Hadron Collider to modified versions of the nanny-bots that Richards had used to look after his children whilst he, Ben, Johnny and Sue were on missions together. Reed _was_ a man of thought, a scientist of creation that could invent things that would even amaze the great Tony Stark (although it took a lot for Tony to admit that he was impressed). The thing about the scientists within their group was that they were all specialists in their own division, and even with Tony’s seven doctorates, he still found himself specialising in engineering. This was very different from Reed, who preferred studying interdimensional travel and particle theory as well as side-lining his vast knowledge of human biology, chemistry and physics. (At least they had shared common ground on their knowledge of electrical engineering). Tony rarely questioned Reed at all in regards to his work; what the two of them had specialised in had made them the people that they were today.

Bar lights illuminated the way, lighting up at each step he took into the chasms of Reed’s ‘ _sanctum sanctorum’_ ; the lab that he had spent the majority of his time within that all for the better word was more of a home to him than any other location within the building. His scanners began scouring the area on his command. Cyan screens appeared before his eyes, detailing and profiling every device until he spotted a mirror that was docked on a circular platform. It stood apart, almost as though it was a trophy on a stand…of course, unlike some sort of sports trophy, the mirror was protected by soft humming red lasers. Tony wanted to roll his eyes at this seemingly pathetic attempt at security as though it were some sort of pre-emptive measure once Reed had discovered Tony’s interest in the device, but instead just waved his hand and smirked. His mind went into the system, reading binary as though it were simple text in a book and re-writing it to his fancies. The encryption was easy to bypass given that he had hacked into much more sophisticated systems before. His eyes changed colour momentarily to a hue of red whilst his mind focused on keying in a number of codes to access the systems that powered the red beams. It had taken precisely three minutes forty five seconds (as he had predicted whilst formulating the initial plan on his way to the building initially) until the lights flickered and the red laser lines faded entirely. The red hue of his eyes that the lights on his armour matched in tone faded and he continued, running his fingertips idly through his windswept hair that poked over the crown of his remaining helmet.

His cyan shimmering eyes took in the mirror. He’d anticipated his reflection, but saw something very different; A swirl of colour similar to that of colliding galaxies with vibrant colours and dazzling lights in the distance, as though he were staring into space from the very spot he stood. This was an invention that Reed had talked about briefly, but had deemed far too dangerous in the past and had deemed it far too unstable to be used. These days, Tony saw the words ‘dangerous’ and ‘unstable’ as nothing but a challenge, particularly with his current mind-set. After all, he was a veritable deity in his current state. No god should have to face barriers, but then life would be boring, and Tony did enjoy challenges now and again. Gods needed minions; they needed companions to rule with them and under them. Matt Murdock’s refusal to offer his help, the open defiance displayed when he had slapped Tony’s hand away, was ever on his mind. After all, Tony _had_ ever so kindly gifted him with the ability to see once more…but the moment he’d been struck, Tony had known Matt Murdock was a lost cause.

He had a foul taste in his mouth. It certainly wasn’t because of the bourbon that he had uncorked when he was talking to Matt – no, this was the taste of betrayal, of wholly ungrateful mortals trying to oppose his will.  He was being hunted as though he were common vermin by the others. Steve was an old man, ever trying to be the voice of justice and reason and Tony was sick of it. It was his opinion that bitterness and a heavy grudge dictated Steve’s reasoning these days. He hated to say that when he was battling Steve and Steve’s ‘son’ (Zola’s creation), he could actually feel his heart aching. The moment he fired his repulsors at Steve and watched him fly back, even with that armour on, he could see the agony in the old man’s face. A man he’d once considered his hero was now openly opposing him, and it certainly wasn’t the first time that had happened; throughout Civil War Tony aimed to do nothing but help the world. He wanted to help his friends and create a better world for the future by writing up a legislation that he genuinely thought would help others, but in the end brought about nothing but trouble. Then there was the recent fight, where Tony had to give Stephen Strange the consenting nod, after Steve disagreed with their approach to the incursions, to wipe his mind of every single day he had spent working alongside the Illuminati. Of course the past had an awful way of creeping up on him, and sooner or later Steve’s memories returned only for Tony to suffer for his lies and ‘betrayal’ by receiving a solid wallop in the jaw from the Captain, and then a torrent of yelling and shouting. Each time they had fought it had torn at his heart even more. He just wanted them to get along, he wanted Steve (the man that he had loved for so long) to finally see that he was doing the right thing, that he was going to make the world safer and that he would do everything in his path to create the ideal world. But Steve refused to see anything from Tony’s perspective. Their constant arguments and bickering, from small scale domestics to larger quarrels that involved other team members  had broken and worn him down until he was a beaten man just goading Steve during their last fight, lying and saying that he would ‘do it again’. That was Tony’s lowest point, a point where he had become a glutton for punishment. But every phoenix had a point where they would burn out, and this, the new rebirth of the old Tony Stark with his superior armour was his comeuppance.

In truth, Tony Stark was sick of it. He sick of being trampled on, and he was especially sick of his genius being suppressed by those that he cared for and constantly tried to help. He was a gift, the voices in his head (a side effect to using the symbiote as a base for his armour, though tamed as he thought it was, was unsafe for that very reason – a reason that Tony had dismissed relatively quickly) reminded him. He was doing the world a service, creating deterrent after deterrent to the madness of world conflict…and he had been rewarded with the title of ‘lord of war’. The funny thing about turning over this new leaf was that the new adapted habits that would have served to make his younger self’s gut churn in anger were now meaningless to him. He felt no guilt over making others suffer because of their mistakes, especially if they had no faith in their newfound messiah. In fact, he was beginning to  _enjoy_  it. He enjoyed watching each of them, every single person that had ever doubted him and his abilities squirm because they simply weren’t strong enough to handle the sheer power of the gift that Tony wanted to bestow on them, because they simply weren’t ready.

They were all inferior. Every single person that doubted him and his abilities were inferior and unworthy.

He questioned how he ever called them friends when they’d treated him as they had. His future allies, his new friends, would have to be of a certain calibre if they were to stand at his side. Firstly, he needed someone that would be his confidant, who would take their place proudly and would be strong enough to crush anyone that opposed him. Of course, he’d wanted Pepper to stand by him, but she appeared to have other plans… she _had_ run off the moment that she thought symbiote-infused armour was a bad idea. It had crossed his mind to show her the wonders of Extremis first-hand, but he couldn’t justify coercing her in such a fashion. He still had that much dignity…

Well, for the time being, of course.

The pain he’d felt as he shot Steve, as he saw those steely eyes face him, a mask of resigned fury on his face, lingered. That pain had been what had drawn Tony here…to do this.

He knew what he was looking at. The device Reed had protected with the lasers was a dimensional mirror, allowing one to see into any dimension they so chose. All Tony had to do was to input his desired criteria, and the results would appear in front of him. His attention pulled to a computer screen just beside the mirror and that was where Tony began his work. He wanted someone strong, loyal…no, _fiercely_ loyal. He wanted the man that other nations adored; he wanted the weapon, the tank.

He wanted Steve Rogers.

“This is just like making your own character in a video game…” He smirked. “Infinite possibilities, infinite dimensions… Reed, why _didn’t_ you show me this before?” He spoke to thin air, knowing that Reed (and all of his staff) had long since fled the lab. All his erstwhile allies were fleeing, the entirety of the group driven to flight to the most distant corners of the Earth. To flee from higher forces, or those who had deemed and crowned themselves as such…Tony’s lip curled with disgust.

He scrolled through more possibilities before his attention was distracted by the mirror, and he moved to face it again. “I want him with no inhibitions. Ruthlessness encouraged, but this needs to be _him_.” He said.

The mirror complied, and displayed a zombie version of Steve. The captain stood before him, decrepit; clutching a piece of his own brain in his hand. Tony’s face quickly formed a disgusted expression. “Out of the question. Next.”

The mirror shimmered and a tall, statuesque version of Steve took the zombie’s place; as handsome as ever, but a cybernetic right arm and a white star enveloped with a red circle around it. Tony stared at him and the harsh expression remained on his face. He regarded the information that flashed up on the computer.  “General America… No, I prefer Captain. Besides, that arm of yours will have to go, sweetheart. My tech _only_. Next.”

A more rugged version of Steve appeared on the screen with his hair slicked back in a messy coif, stubble lining his square jaw and an eye-patch covering one of his eyes. “Colonel—Good, perhaps, but not close to what I have in mind.” Tony held a hand to his chin. “I _do_ love the rugged look, it’s sexy. But I can’t have you outshining me, Colonel… Not that you have much of a chance with this personalised chrome finish, but…” He chuckled, more for his own benefit than anything else. “Next.”

Then a burly version of the Captain appeared in place of the Colonel, one with a pentagram on his chest, large elongated canines. “Cancerverse? The name alone doesn’t make me like you. Come on, I want someone in between, I want him _perfect_ …”

His patience wore thin after hours scrolling through dimension after dimension in search for the perfect partner. Although each was tempting, he knew he had _one_ shot at what he had in mind. There was no time to waste with failed attempts.

Finally, after the mirror had shown him many possibilities but none meshed with what Tony had in mind, Tony sighed resignedly. There was no Steve out there that paralleled his ethics, but there was one that came close, and he from a dimension that the mirror knew very little about. This Steve was a tall, handsome unmodified version of Steve, but after closely scrutinising his personality traits, Tony saw that he held far greater potential. Steve had strength and determination, and according to the files, he would become much more in the future; he would be an agent of Ultron’s, self-proclaimed ‘ _agent of the machine_ ’ built with cybernetic capabilities that eclipsed any on this planet whilst invoking Steve’s communal memories, but it was before that, way before that. He was fresh blood; most importantly, he was a blank slate. He was still human and had yet to be rebuilt into the machine and slave to Ultron that he was foreordained to become. This Steve was a blank slate that Tony could take and make into something of his own, shape and mould him into the dream Captain America that he wanted to serve by his side instead of fight against.

Finally, after all these years, he and Steve could cease their bickering and work together in harmony to bring forth the perfect world that Tony had envisioned. This was just the start.

Tony’s eyes flickered at the man with interest. “How confident are you in killing?”

“I’ll kill if I have to.” The figure replied from the other side, though his voice was distorted with the barrier of the mirror in the way.

“Are you open-minded, in regards to genetic modification?”

“To become perfect, we must embrace what we need to. We must embrace the future.”

Tony’s lips curled up. It was music to his ears to hear Steve actually accepting technology like that. It wasn’t the Steve of his world, but somewhere out there was a Steve that embraced the future, and that was what Tony _truly_ wanted.

This was his dream, on the other side of that mirror. Tony cleared his throat. “You know I helped create Ultron, correct? I helped create what made you who you are in your world.”

“You?” Steve’s eyebrows, fuzzy through the mirror made them, rose with interest.

“Yes, I helped. Though I wasn’t the entirety of the brains behind it, but I helped. You know…technically, that means I’m the one who made you as great as you are.” Tony chuffed with pride, patting the glowing centre of his suit. “So, how would you like to work for me, Tony Stark, considering that you owe me?”

Steve stared for a moment with contemplation. Raising his head and giving Tony that stare that he was used to, that stare that meant yes without vocalising it. “We’re not in the same dimension. How do you expect this will work?”

“You see, the thing about this mirror is that it can only be used once for cross-dimensional travel. Once.” Tony leaned closer to the mirror. “How badly do you want to work for me, though? I want to _hear_ you say it.”

Steve stood defiant to complete submission, but replied with a comfortable grin that could be interpreted as psychotic as he too leaned closer to the veneer. “Do you want to pass up on a valuable asset? That is my question in return, Tony.”

Tony loved it. He could feel his heart thudding just like it did the day that they had found Steve in the ice, seeing a beautiful man with that smug attitude, seeing his once hero be what he _wanted_ him to be was providing him with the same thrill.  “What makes you think you’re so valuable to me?”

“You wouldn’t have come searching for me if I wasn’t valuable.” Steve replied, reaching out for the mirror and touching the surface, his fingers pressed against it, glowing azure meeting Tony’s cyan, locking with such a fierce intensity.

Tony leaned in, flexing his shoulders back, armour shifting accordingly as a few tendrils reached up, sparling up his arm and rubbed against the surface of the mirror as though his lust was commanding him to lurch closer. “You’re a smug son of a gun.” He whispered.

“Confident, yes. I know what I’m capable of.” Steve replied smoothly, his pitch lowering an octave to a smooth level.

“If you don’t move, you’ll get hurt, sweetheart.”

Steve looked up with confusion. “What?”

This was the one chance he had, and Tony Stark seized that chance like the opportunist he was. His arm rose, then and he slammed his armour coated hands through the mirror, circling around the surprised super-soldier and yanking him through. Shards scratched at his flesh, but Tony didn’t rest until he had successfully pulled him through.

When it was finished, Steve stood on his side of the mirror, utterly shocked.

Tony circled around him to examine the damage and pulled him closer. One of the tendrils of Extremis danced off the surface of his armour and moved on its own accord to raise Steve’s chin. “Look at that, you’re bleeding…”

Steve had his head turned to one side as the symbiote trailed over a small cut made by the glass. “It’s nothing, I assure you.”

“It does…” His voice trailed as he leaned closer to Steve’s cheek, giving it a swift lick with the tip of his tongue, wiping away the blood. “…look like something.” The metallic flavour lingered on his taste buds. Tony licked his lips to display his satisfaction, before grinning such that all his teeth showed. His sharp canines were on display, dazzling in the artificial light around them.

Steve bit down on the inside of his lip, eyes calmly gazing over the stunning shimmering beauty that was Superior Iron Man. He admired every small bend, every detail, every glowing light that appeared to change colour intensity depending on the mood of the wearer, so he hypothesised, internally noting to put that to the test. “So, are we going to take care of business?”

“All business? That’s no fun.” His hand rubbed down Steve’s bicep, giving it a testing squeeze, making a pleased “ooh” when he felt how rock hard the muscle was. “Fine, business first. We’ll fuck later.”

“What?”

_He wasn’t expecting that level of bluntness._

“You heard me. While you’re here you’re mine. In every. Single. Way.”

Steve tilted his head. “Am I, now?”

“If you have a problem, you’re more than welcome to protest. I’m not an evil man. In fact, I’m rather fair.” Tony shrugged.

“No, no problem at all, Tony.”

“Good. Now then…let’s be off, Steve.” He began to lead the way. It took a moment for Steve’s legs to move, he was surprised, pleasantly so by the authority that Tony had in this dimension. “The world awaits our work…”

Steve summoned a small smile, one that tucked the side of his lips upwards. “Considering I’ve been here all of five minutes… I think we’re going to make a great team.”

“And so do I.”


End file.
